The integration is designed to encourage LMS adoption, according to Ellucian. Colleague Intelligent Learning Platform provides access to both the administrative and academic sides of course management through a single interface. When students and faculty log on to their institution's LMS, they can access their calendar, assignments, and other course-related information and use their Colleague Portal to access campus services and information. According to the company, it reduces costs while improving communication and coordination for students, faculty, and staff.

Hodges University was a beta site for Colleague Intelligent Learning Platform for Blackboard Learn. "It supports our efforts to maintain our portal as the one-stop site for all of a student's administrative and academic needs," said Wendy Gehring, director of IT for the university. "The integration will cut down the number of clicks it takes now to access Blackboard Learn."

This version of Colleague Intelligent Learning Platform also supports the latest IMS Learning Information Services (LIS 2.0) specification, which defines how systems exchange information about people, groups, memberships, courses, and outcomes within the context of learning between Colleague by Ellucian and Blackboard Learn.

The company claimed that Colleague Intelligent Learning Platform increases LMS usage by up to 48 percent and reduces time spent on administrative tasks by up to 33 percent.

Further information about Colleague Intelligent Learning Platform is available on the Ellucian site.

About the Author

Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at leilameyer@gmail.com.